Go Fund Bean’s Two Standout Gatherings at This Year’s SCA Expo in Portland

Two Go Fund Bean Events to Watch at the Portland SCA Expo

For a large number of coffee professionals, the yearly Specialty Coffee Expo ranks among the year’s top events. The Specialty Coffee Association (SCA) puts on the show, which features exhibitors, talks, and contests showcasing what’s new in the field. Many organizations also use the concentration of coffee people in town to stage their own side events and get-togethers.

This year the Expo is set for Portland, Oregon, from April 21 to 23. Go Fund Bean, a nonprofit focused on uplifting and empowering hourly workers, has two events lined up that are worth your attention.

Why It Matters: In the lead-up to Expo, brands and organizations typically announce parties or events they are hosting alongside the main show, which brings coffee professionals in from around the world. Go Fund Bean (GFB) is putting on two: Feeding Portland, which will hand out free food to baristas, and Coffee Prom, a playful twist on the usual nonprofit black-tie gala. Coffee Prom invites guests to be silly, take off their shoes, and dance the night away on a mechanical dance floor while raising money for future GFB programming.

The Full Extraction: Feeding Portland will be held at Guilder & Junior’s Roasted Coffee Roastery (2393 NE Fremont St) on April 21. A press release states that “Go Fund Bean will be providing Portland-area working baristas with three free prepared meals for them to take home and eat during Expo weekend.” Baristas can order food—starting now by filling out this form—from a handful of Portland restaurants, and vegan and vegetarian options are available.

“This program is a labor of love for Go Fund Bean,” says GFB Director of Marketing Valorie Clark. “Everyone on our board was once a barista, and we remember the pain of going home to cook after a long day of prepping coffee and food for other people. During major coffee events like Expo, work is even more tiring for the local coffee community. We wanted to take something off of baristas’ plates during that time.”

GFB will host Coffee Prom on April 23 to close out Expo. Like any proper prom, it has a theme—“Swag”—open to interpretation but meant to be fun, silly, and light. “Swag is in the eye of the beholder,” says GFB board member Bud Taliaferro. “It’s about living life luxuriously and enjoying the finer things. It’s about that bag of stuff that vendors gave away hoping to make a customer of you. It’s about knowing who you are and carrying yourself like nobody can tell you otherwise. It’s opulence. It’s silly. It’s a chance to release your wiggles and have some fun. Swag is yours to define, just don’t show up without it!”

Tickets will be sold on a sliding scale starting at $20, which includes a buffet dinner, alcohol-free drinks, and access to a photo booth to capture your special night. There will also be a silent auction with all proceeds going to support future programming for GFB in 2024 and beyond.

Oh, and that mechanical dance floor? Coffee Prom will take place at McMenamin’s Crystal Ballroom, listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Some have described dancing on the floor as “like dancing on clouds!”

What’s More: Both events reflect GFB’s goals: to give coffee professionals the support they need right away and to fund programming for longer-term projects. Speaking about Coffee Prom, GFB founder Adam JacksonBey says: “While a lot of non-profits have galas to support their mission, we thought it would be more true to who we are as an organization to have a Prom, a low key but high fun event that allows us all to relax and dance after an intense three days of SCA Expo.”

Coffee Prom will support projects similar to Feeding Portland in the future, along with other programs such as Disaster Relief Grants, Bean for Bean mentorship, low-cost mental health care through Stay Grounded, and their national Wage Survey project, which we broke down here.

You can learn more about Go Fund Bean by visiting their website.